


Somewhere between sorrow and bliss

by Itherael



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Cuddles, Fluff and Angst, Kid!Gladio and Shield!Iris because that's how apparently my muse wants to play, M/M, Mentioned Promnis, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Requited Unrequited Love, We're still going with the canon route so :), mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-16 08:11:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16082054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itherael/pseuds/Itherael
Summary: "Did you know that gladioli are often referred as cemetery flowers? Maybe your name is an omen by itself"Day 1: Mercreature AUDay 2: Age DifferenceA collection of fics written for GladNoct Week.





	1. What the water gave me

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! :D
> 
> This is the first time I'm writing for this fandom, so please be a bit patient with me.
> 
> Day 1: Mercreature AU

_“... The King walked up the stairs leading to the Citadel, leaving behind his trusted companions. His heart that once felt heavy with guilt and the desire to ignore his cruel fate was now calm, at peace with his end._

_What’s the cost of a life, if it meant dawn would return?”_

“You’re aware that I’m not a fan of sad stories, right?”

Gladio sighed. While it was true that his companion wasn’t a fan of many human tales, the ones with a sad ending were completely out of question, but once he had decided to grab the book in the morning, it had been impossible to put it down.

He barely had to turn to see the annoyed face of his companion, who looked close to hit him with his tail if he dared to finish the story.

The discovery of the merman had been made purely by accident. A late evening walking by the sea shore had been interrupted by the shine of midnight blue scales and the unnatural, captivating blue eyes that shone brighter than the moon  _(and how later he would discover their natural glow, getting stupidly close to the creature, only to get slapped by its tail)._

But now Noctis was a trusted friend,  _sometimes more than a friend_ , who enjoyed the free time he didn’t spend sleeping or hunting fishes with a “boring” human. And it was a great distraction for Gladio, whose own duties often left him stressed, and the company of the mer was always welcomed.

“I know, but I didn’t have the time to go back home and pick up the novel I was reading for you the other day” which was... actually a half-truth, because he could have always leave the book in his bag before leaving.

In reality, the King from the book reminded him a lot of a certain bratty merman, but he wasn’t going to confess that.

“And besides” Gladio continued, “you were the one who said  _‘I don’t care, just read whatever part you’re on’_ “

“Because I wasn’t expecting you to be reading that one  _again_ ” the merman glared, splashing his tail against the water,  _almost splashing the book_ , in clear show of his annoyance.

_Honestly..._

Gladio decided to give up, because Noctis was right. He had read the book to the merman more times than he could count, and while sometimes complaining, Noctis still listened the story. Leaving the book in his bag, which was carefully placed next to his boots and jacket, Gladio focused his entire attention on the merman.

“There, happy now?”

His response was given in the form of a heavy merman in his lap, reaching for his bag and placing himself comfortably between the legs of the human. Again, not the first time it happened, but Noctis never gave a warning before doing it, so it always surprised Gladio.

“Did I told you to stop?”

The human chuckled, “What? You like my voice that much that you would  _endure such a sad story_  again?”

Despite their position, Noctis continued to glare.

“Just... just keep reading”

“As His Majesty commands”

And with an arm warped around the merman’s waist, midnight hair tickling his neck and chin and book in hand, Gladio finished the tale of the King and his companions.

Maybe one day he would invent a different ending for it, just to please Noctis.


	2. The End of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I've always been in love with you_   
>  _Could you tell it from the moment that I met you?_
> 
> Day 2: Age Difference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playing with the Age Difference prompt, and the Iris-as-Shield scenario, this little monster was born. I had something else planned but my muse is a ***** :)))
> 
> Also I know I'm so late but I'm trying to catch up as quickly as possible ;-; I'm so sorry

In hindsight, going to the Citadel by himself had been a bad idea, but… at the time had seemed like a great idea.

Which left him currently in quite the predicament.

Honestly, he only wanted to meet the guy his sister was going to protect with her life. Iris was the best, and if she was supposed to,  _Astrals forbid_ , give her life in service of some bratty teen, then he had to judge by himself if the guy was worthy.

In his eyes, no one was worth the sacrifice Iris would have to make one day.

Sneaking past Jared had been easy, and going through the Citadel’s security citing that he had just come to see his father left him free to roam around the place. The thing was… he had only went to the Citadel with his father, so in less that fifteen minutes of aimless wandering, Gladio was terribly lost.

It hadn’t helped either following that cat, so here he was. Lost in a forest, when he only wanted to meet the Prince. He just wanted to see if the guy was such a big deal as Iris wanted him to believe!

_(Probably it was just jealousy, to no longer have his sister’s attention solely on him, but he’s not admitting that)_

The Prince was only a few years older than himself, so he probably wasn’t like King Regis at all. He was probably just a brat who complained over training, _the training Gladio so much wanted to go through so he could be in the Crownsguard_ , but Iris was so quick to see the good in him! She was damn too patient sometimes.

It was far too easier to direct his anger towards someone else than to admit that he was actually angry at himself. If Gladio had been the Shield instead of Iris, getting lost in a forest would have been out of question,  _and if his father finally allowed him to train, it wouldn’t have happened either!_

But it was getting dark, and as brave as he wanted to act, the shadows in the forest seemed to be getting more and more frightening the longer he stayed. Suddenly he was a terrified child, and all the bravado from before was forgotten. Tears started to swell up on his eyes while he tried to find his voice to ask for help, and somehow he did, because without even noticing a rescuer had come to his aid.

A rescuer that was the Prince in question.

The very same Prince  _(“Just call me Noctis”)_  he had thought to be a brat (and Gladio had to admit,  _maybe he was the actual brat_ ) was actually quite nice. Really nice, if he was honest. Stupidly nice when the Prin-... when Noctis took all the blame of his little escapade and was met with both the disappointment of his father and his future Shield.

A future Shield that looked beyond pissed with Gladio.

But Noctis didn’t give away the truth and took the punishment without questioning it and Gladio found that his past so-called anger at the older but was quickly replaced with something else.

So he felt it had been unfair for Noctis to take a punishment he clearly didn’t deserve, so he told Iris the truth, who would obviously tell their father about it and Gladio would be punished for a month but in the end, it felt somewhat worth it. If it hadn’t been for that, maybe he would have stayed with the horrible idea he had of the Prince for the Astrals knows how long.

And well, maybe, if he developed a bit of a… tiny crush/hero worship, that was his secret.

* * *

 

_It would take many, many years later before the moment would take place._

_It would take Insomnia to fall, to lose his father, to lose Jared, to lose Noctis to the damned Crystal. It would take for the world to fall into never-ending darkness. It would take the group to break apart despite Iris’ attempts to keep them together._

_It would take to see his strong sister break down many times, asking what had she done wrong and how could she had failed so much._

_It would take Gladio to form his own fame, the Daemon Slayer._

_It would take a night, 10 years after the fall of their home for Noctis to come out of the Crystal to fight for the last time. It would take for him to wait until Noctis was alone, if even for a second, to steal the kiss he had dreamed since he was 15._

_“Come back to us once more”_

_But in the end, even if he had waited for an eternity, the result would still be the same._


	3. And all this Heaven too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And all of my stumbling phrases never amounted to anything worth this feeling_   
>  _All this heaven never could describe such a feeling as I'm hearing_   
>  _Words were never so useful_   
>  _So I was screaming out a language that I never knew existed before_
> 
> Gladio keeps a secret.
> 
> GladNoct Week Day 6 | Bodyguard | Soulmate AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I’m an absolute bastard I had to mix this two prompts to make this monster. Am I ashamed? No. Do I regret it? Yes. Will this get me kicked out of the fandom? Probably.
> 
> (Also yeah, day 6 because I'm still catching up but my muse hates me and wouldn't let me write anything else but this)

The world is in black and white, and has always been like that since he remembers.

Papa has spent a long time explaining the reason, and while he’s only 3, he can understand that one day he’ll meet someone really, really important and he’ll be able to see all the colors in the world. He’ll be able to see what colors his candies are so he can pass those blue ones he doesn’t like that much and pick the red ones instead.

Gladio hopes his important person would be someone he likes, because if his important person is icky, colors wouldn’t be so good anymore.

But Papa is taking him to meet another really important person. When he grows up, he’ll protect this person with his life, just like Papa protects Uncle Regis, and just like his grandpa and his great grandpa and many other great grandpas have protected the King. He supposes the King must be really important to have so many Amicitias protecting them.

Soon they reach the nursery, and Uncle Regis is there with a bundle that moves in his arms. Gladio is curious about the bundle, but Papa is still holding his hand and he must be a good boy and not try to run, even if it’s Uncle Regis. So he waits until Uncle Regis is sitting and Papa guides him towards them.

The moment his eyes meets the Prince’s, Gladio decides that his favorite color is  _blue_.

* * *

 

_For some reason he can’t understand, Papa tells him to keep the secret. He doesn’t know why, but if Papa says so, he’s gonna be a good boy and keep it to himself._

_He’s happy that the Prince is the very, very important person, and if he has to protect him to continue to see that beautiful blue, then he’s gonna do so!_

* * *

 

Noctis has been able to see in colors for as long he remembers, and unfortunately for him, he can’t actually say who is his soulmate.

The possibilities are endless, with how much people work in the Citadel. It can be a Glaive, or a member of the Crownsguard, or the child of a member of the Council.

He knows it’s not Ignis, because Ignis still sees the color in black and white. He thinks it can’t be Gladio, despite how much he likes those amber eyes, because Gladio is his Shield and the idea of him dying to protect him makes his heart ache because then he wouldn’t be able to see in color ever again (or at least that’s the reason he thinks, but he’s still a kid and feelings aren’t that important when playtime is so much worthwhile).

So he shrugs whenever someone asks him about his soulmate. It’s better that way.

* * *

 

There’s a moment when the world starts to lose colors, slowly at first so he can’t actually notice until his bright red pen starts to look more and more dull.

And then the colors start to become duller faster and faster, and everything is going back to white and black and he doesn’t want to think the reason but his heart is beating hard and fast in his chest, his breath is quickening and his hands are trembling, and someone must be holding him because he’s anchored to the ground and colors are bleeding out.

_No, no, no, nononono, NO, NO!_

Later, so much later, too late, they’ll tell him about the Marilith. When the colors are barely there, duller but still there, which means Noctis is still alive. His father will hold him close, muttering soft words to calm him down.

And despite not being the official Shield, Gladio refuses to move from outside the Prince’s room, not until the colors become more vivid and he’s finally able to breathe again.

* * *

 

There will be a time when he comes to despise the color blue, even if it lasts for nothing but a few days.

Noctis refuses to cooperate in his training despite being fully recovered, and Gladio is frustrated. This is the person he’s supposed to protect with his life? This is the person the Astrals decided would be his soulmate?

It’s stupid, he knows, but he’s entering adolescence and the need to prove himself worthy of being a Shield like his father is the only thing he wants to care about.

It would take Iris to get lost for him to see Noctis in a similar light he did in the past. Maybe the kid isn’t so bad, after all.

* * *

 

When Prompto becomes his friend, Noctis confides a secret he has only shared with Ignis (because Gladio absolutely refuses to talk about soulmates, for some reason).

He’s so fucking frustrated.

Frustrated because of the whole soulmate thing. Frustrated because Gladio got ridiculously hot. Frustrated because he has heard about the supposed sexcapades of his soon-to-be Shield and his so many romances that he knows aren’t truth because when Gladio isn’t studying, he’s either training or reading one of his novels. He’s frustrated because he got a big dumb crush on his Shield and there’s no way he can act upon it.

* * *

 

The attack of the drunkard is another painful reminder of how much quickly things can change.

His body moves by instinct, pulling Noctis behind him so he can take the blunt of the attack. He knows how to disarm, obviously, but his priority is to protect the Prince, nothing more and nothing else. Some would think that the idea of a meat shield is ridiculous, but once he had seen the world bleeding out its colors, and he doesn’t want to repeat the experience.

(He doesn’t want to think that one day he’ll have to leave Noctis behind, and that day he’ll finally learn the identity of the soulmate he had been denied for so long)

The cut stings, but after the attack the man stumbles and it doesn’t take Gladio more than a few seconds to knock him out cold.

The terrified expression in Noctis’ face makes him pull the kid into a tight hug, not caring about how damaged his eye can be. It hadn’t been a life threatening situation either, but it’s the first time someone had dared to attack Noctis so directly. But the Prince is safe and so are his precious colors, and that’s the only thing that matters.

* * *

 

Ignis isn’t stupid, and of course he has to be the one to discover his secret.

“Gladio, you have to tell him”

His excuse? “I can’t”

* * *

 

The heartbreak of knowing that your soulmate is fated to die in order to protect your life would have been too much for Noctis during his youth. According to his father, it’s not uncommon for an Amicitia to be the King or Queen’s soulmate, because the Astrals were assholes and maybe they thought the bond between Shield and royalty would be deeper that way.

During the years, Gladio had grown accustomed to his burden, both as Shield and his secret. Soon, another burden will soon join.

Seeing Noctis dressed in his ceremonial robes during the ceremony he swears loyalty to his Prince makes him realize that the feeling that has been growing in his heart is no other than love.

_He’s so fucking screwed._

* * *

 

Gladio learns to live with his secret, and so does Noctis.

Both have roles that have been forced upon them. But that’s how destiny is. So close, yet so, so far.

It has to be this way.

* * *

 

Insomnia falls.

Lady Lunafreya dies.

Ignis loses his sight using the Ring of Lucii in order to protect Noctis  _(when it should have been him, it should have been Gladio, not Ignis, Ignis who had only started to enjoy colors only a few years back with Prompto, **it should have been him** )_

Noctis is sucked into that cursed rock.

And the world is swallowed by never ending darkness.

* * *

 

There are days when Gladio wakes up and the colors around him are too fuzzy. Days when Gladio fears he’ll wake up and the world would be darker than it currently is.

Days when black and white bleed into his vision, and only summoning his greatsword gives his heart some peace.

* * *

 

“You should have told him”

“What difference would have made?”

Oh, what a difference it would have made. Only if he had known.

* * *

 

It takes 10 years for Noctis to come back.

But the Astrals are cruel, and the destiny of the Chosen King had been set since his birth. Now he somehow understands why his father had asked him so many years ago to keep this secret.

Noctis is to sacrifice himself in order to bring back dawn, and having something still tying him to the mortal realm would have made him hesitate.

But damn, he wants to be selfish, even if the world is damned by it.

Now he thinks that he should have listened to Ignis since the beginning, just to give Noctis a reason to stay.

_“I can’t” Gods, he was such an idiot._

One last night, just a few more hours for the 4 of them to be together like in what feels was a lifetime ago.

The lie about the fiancé comes forced, but Noctis seems to believe it. Ignis’ calls him on his bullshit right away, but thankfully doesn’t say more about that particular matter. For all of them, Noctis’ demise is painful, but they know how much this will break the Shield.

* * *

 

_“Walk tall, my friends”_

* * *

 

They fight viciously for the last time.

When the world starts to lose color, Gladio doesn’t stop fighting, despite the tears that are starting to cloud his vision. It makes him attack faster, harder, more desperate, letting out all the anger he feels towards Ardyn, the Astrals and more than anything, at himself.

How much time he lost? How many chances? The burden of his secret and his feelings are a heavy weight for his shoulders and heart, but he pushes through them, locking them away until the battle is over, until the first rays of light start to break through the sky.

Until the last color, until the last shade of blue bleeds out.

The daemons collapse and turn to ashes.

The sun that has been hiding for 10 years is shining in the sky.

Gladio falls to his knees and cries harder than ever before.

His King is gone, and the Shield has lost his purpose.

Noctis is gone, and with him so are the colors of his world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate myself so much.

**Author's Note:**

> [iterael](iterael.tumblr.com) @ tumblr


End file.
